Gym Membership - Struggling To Cancel

[bluefortress]

Been made redundant and want to cancel my gym membership 

I am in a 12 month contract with the gym and they will cancel only under exceptional circumstances one of these is redundancy. 
 

So I emailed them my redundancy letter and request to cancel. 
 

After 2 weeks I haven't heard anything so phoned my local gym. They said that they recieved my cancel request and have forwarded it to their headquarters and that they are awaiting to hear their reply. 
 

The gym told me that it is one month notice anyway before they can cancel. I asked if the notice was from the date of my request or from the date of their authorisation and they said it was from their authorisation. 
 

So I am at their mercy really, how can I speed them up? Apparantly the headquarters don't have a phone number. 
 

Has anyone been in a similar situation? I'm tempted to just cancel the direct debit but there will be all the hassle of them chasing me about it etc

[bednobs]

its probably all in the t+C somewhere

 

[ToraToraTora]

give them a months notice then cancel the DD.

[bluefortress]

Tora - that would be the ideal but the notice only starts when headquarters approve the cancellation 

[ToraToraTora]

so "THEY" say, what does it say in your documentation? You said you can cancel before 12 months in exceptional circumstances by goiving one months notice. They have not defined what is "exceptional" they can't decide that after the fact. I'd give notice then cancel the DD, nowt they can do that wont cost a lot more than your remaining subs.

[bluefortress]

I'l have a look at the terms again Tora, thanks

[bluefortress]

Just checked the contract I think you are right. The assistant on the phone said that the notice starts from the date the cancellation is authorised rather than the date you request cancellation but the terms/conditions simply say they require a months notice. 
 

I'l just cancel the direct debit after a month.